"Best, Best" is a song by American rapper

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

. It was written by Elliott,

Marcella Araica Marcella Christina Araica is an American recording and mixing engineer, who has recorded and mixed tracks for artists including Britney Spears, Duran Duran, K. Michelle, Keri Hilson, Madonna, P!nk and Timbaland. Biography Araica started her prof ...

, and

Nate "Danja" Hills Floyd Nathaniel Hills (born February 22, 1982), professionally known as Danja (), is an American record producer and songwriter from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Starting off as a co-producer for Timbaland, he has since then created an extensive cat ...

for what was supposed to be Elliott's seventh studio album ''Block Party'', while production was helmed by Elliott and Hills. Announced as the album's lead single, it was released by

The Goldmind Inc. The Goldmind, Inc. is an American record label founded in 1997 by rapper Missy Elliott. Elliott was once distributed through Elektra Entertainment Group, and more recently by Atlantic Records before starting her own record label. The Goldmind, ...

and

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

on June 13, 2008, and peaked at number 94 on the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

. Since ''Block Party'' was abandoned in the spring of 2009, "Best, Best" remains a standalone single.

Composition

Written and produced by Elliott and music producer Danja, "Best, Best" is a futuristic sounding, mid-tempo Hip-hop and R&B song. Like some of Elliott's other songs it is rapped and sung. After ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' previewed the song they stated, "Elliott, repeated the last word to every sentence throughout, rhymes, ('We fuss fuss / we fight fight / we make up up / by the night night.')".

Critical reception

In his review of the ''Block Party''s preview listening party in 2008, ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...

'' editor Rajul Punjabi wrote: "Danja didn't do much for this track, although Missy herself claims that it's "what " Irreplaceable" did for

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

's album ..Mid-tempo with a lyrical ode to her man. Missy repeats the last word of every line ("We fuss fuss / we fight fight / we make up by the end of the night night.)"" In a retrospective review of the song, Steven J. Horowitz from ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'' remarked that "Danja turns in a B-level take on Timbalands clattering percussion, accenting the rumble below with

Casio is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing corporation headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Its products include calculators, mobile phones, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and analogue and digital watches. It ...

-type synths. The beat offers little to support the stuttering

Auto-Tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...

d lyrics that come across as simple for such a dexterous lyricist."

Release

When choosing which song was going to be the lead single off of her seventh studio album, Elliott had plans to release "Act a Fool" as the lead single, but plans were quickly scrapped and "Best, Best" was chosen in its place. Released as a digital download on June 13, 2008, it peaked at number 94 on the US

. A planned

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Best, Best," announced in June 2008, never came to fruition.

Charts

Release history

References

{{authority control Missy Elliott songs Song recordings produced by Danja (record producer) Songs written by Missy Elliott Songs written by Danja (record producer) 2008 songs Songs written by Marcella Araica